Ubisoft games installed on a drive other than C:

[tectix]

So I was wondering if anyone has a solution to the following problem:

No ubisoft game (save for Rayman) works if installed on a drive other than the C: drive on my computer. Here's what happens if I do:

Assassin's creed: I can open the game, select a save file, then it gets stuck on the loading animation...forever.

Every other Ubisoft game (other ACs, Far cry 2/3/BD, Splinter Cell, : Game opens for 1 second while the screen adjusts, then "[Blank] has stopped responding"

Does anyone know a fix for this? Is it Uplay? Is it just the games?

[B33 ENN]

Have you got Steam installed on C: and then used the settings to change install location for the games to another partition?

Because I have my Steam on a different drive, but the gameas are also in that same path, and I've had no issues with any of my Ubi games.

[tectix]

Originally posted by B33 ENN:

Have you got Steam installed on C: and then used the settings to change install location for the games to another partition?

Because I have my Steam on a different drive, but the gameas are also in that same path, and I've had no issues with any of my Ubi games.

Steam is installed on the E: drive (the drive I want the game to go), Uplay is installed on all of my drives actually. I have been using a seperate Steam library on the C: drive for Ubisoft Games.

Also, I don't know if this changed anything, but I am using Windows 8 64-bit.

[B33 ENN]

Originally posted by Tectix:

Steam is installed on the E: drive (the drive I want the game to go)

Okay that's fine.

Originally posted by Tectix:

Uplay is installed on all of my drives actually.

This makes no sense. UPlay Game Launcher application should only be installed in one place on your computer, and that's by default under Program Files (x86) folder on your C: drive.

Originally posted by Tectix:

I have been using a seperate Steam library on the C: drive for Ubisoft Games. Also, I don't know if this changed anything, but I am using Windows 8 64-bit.

Okay, so your Ubi games are all bought through Steam, and you chose to create that alternative Library location upon first installation of one of the Ubi games.

However none of them work if you try to move them from C: to the E: location. How have you tried moving them, by uninstalling them using Delete Local Content... and the Install?

(I'm not sure if Windows 8 is in some way involved as I've never used it with Steam or games.)

[tectix]

Originally posted by B33 ENN:

Okay that's fine.

I can guarante you that ubisoftgamelauncher is installed on each drive's respective programs folder and each one of them works with no problem. This happened because I was trying to solve the original problem.

I have tried everything I could think of; moving them from 1 drive to another (all 4 of them), creating partition paths from other drives inside of the C: drive using Disk manager and installing/moving the games to those, I must've downloaded and reinstalled each game 5 times (literally days).

[btw thanks for the quick responses, unexpected]

[B33 ENN]

Originally posted by Tectix:

I can guarante you that ubisoftgamelauncher is installed on each drive's respective programs folder and each one of them works with no problem.

When you install the UPlay application, it should be installed once on your Windows drive and will startup whenever you access a Ubi game from Steam, no matter where they are installed.

What you are describing with multiple drives each with UPlay on them sounds like a multiple install attempts gone wrong.

Originally posted by Tectix:

This happened because I was trying to solve the original problem. I have tried everything I could think of; moving them from 1 drive to another (all 4 of them), creating partition paths from other drives inside of the C: drive using Disk manager and installing/moving the games to those, I must've downloaded and reinstalled each game 5 times (literally days).

From what you described, you have two hard drive partitions, C: and E: I think somehow things have got very messed up and you should uninstall all of those games on C: from within Steam using Delete Local Cotent...

Then navigate as follows:

Steam ► Settings ► Downloads ► Content Libraries

Click STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS, and then select the location on C: and click REMOVE LIBRARY FOLDER.

Next follow up by using your Windows Control Panel to uninstall the Uplay application.

Then reboot your system and you can reinstall UPlay to the C: drive default location.

Then load Steam and re-install your Ubi games one by one to the default E: drive where Steam is located


For future reference:

The way to move already downloaded Steam games around:

Moving a Steam Installation and Games

And this gives an indication of the alternate Library creation:

Install Games in Different Locations

[tectix]

Originally posted by B33 ENN:

What you are describing with multiple drives each with UPlay on them sounds like a multiple install attempts gone wrong.

It isn't. I promise. But I just now got rid of the ones that arent' on the C: drive and completely reinstalled Uplay (including manually removing the registry keys, so they could be replaced). Uplay works just fine and launches rayman with no problem. Also, tracing the crash reports I find in the Dump folders, I know for a fact that Uplay has nothing to do with the problem.

Originally posted by B33 ENN:

From what you described, you have two hard drive partitions, C: and E: I think somehow things have got very messed up and you should uninstall all of those games on C: from within Steam using Delete Local Cotent...

Then navigate as follows:

Steam ► Settings ► Downloads ► Content Libraries

Click STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS, and then select the location on C: and click REMOVE LIBRARY FOLDER.

Next follow up by using your Windows Control Panel to uninstall the Uplay application.

Then reboot your system and you can reinstall UPlay to the C: drive default location.

Then load Steam and re-install your Ubi games one by one to the default E: drive where Steam is located

I did the partition thing after I had tried all of these things... several times and in every conceivable order. The partition thing didn't work, so I undid it. (btw other, non-ubisoft games worked perfectly in the special partition I made, but I didn't need it for them because my other 300 games work just fine... except Skyrim for some reason, but I digress).

Please understand. I have read all these suggestions before. I have tried all of them. I learned the inner workings of the Windows registry trying to find the answer myself. I am looking for an answer that is probably more complicated than the steps in your suggestions. Honestly, I can get by with having to fit the games on the C: drive and move them back and forth when I want to play another, but it's the fact that something isn't right that's irking me. I still appreciate the help, don't get me wrong, but do you have any other suggestions?

[mp3masta]

Tectix____I think I might have that same problem. I have 120 SSD to run my operationg system so i do not want to put too many games on it since its very small. I ran FarCry on C: but later put it on F SSD Hybrid drive where I keep all of my steam games, and it would not work....I bought spilnter Cell blacklist and put it on F as well and it will not work....only Rayman

[mp3masta]

So I guess we are both Stuck...like you i tried everything, help desk and other forums but i think you hit the hammer on the head.....Now I looking into getting a new SSD.

[tectix]

Originally posted by mp3masta:

So I guess we are both Stuck...like you i tried everything, help desk and other forums but i think you hit the hammer on the head.....Now I looking into getting a new SSD.

Yeah, I have tried just about everything I could think of so far. Now I just have a folder on my F: to store the games and move them back and forth to the C: when I want to play them. It actually works which I found surprising. You just have to let steam think they are installed on the C: and never never never try to play it until you put it back. That's all I can recommend espacially if you don't want to reinstall windows or other programs to your new drive.

[SquareWheel]

I have this problem with Ubisoft games too. I own them on Uplay, not Steam, but I find they only run if they're on my primary SSD. I have two partitions, C: and D: on that drive, and both work. But if I move them to my HDD (E:), then they usually just give a black screen or an AppCrash. Even if I install on E:, copy to D: and create symlink - that works fine. But not the other way around. It seems like the files really need to be on the primary drive and I'm not sure why. Only noticed with Ubisoft games and Dead Island so far.

[gpavlidis94]

After a lot of months searching for an answer I found out that you have to figure out the D(E,F or anything) drive as MBR and not GPT in order for Ubi games to work on a hard drive other than C.I tested it and it works for EVERY Ubi game out now.

[tectix]

Originally posted by gpavlidis94:

After a lot of months searching for an answer I found out that you have to figure out the D(E,F or anything) drive as MBR and not GPT in order for Ubi games to work on a hard drive other than C.I tested it and it works for EVERY Ubi game out now.

What do I have to do in order to change them?

[gpavlidis94]

Originally posted by Incursus:

Originally posted by gpavlidis94:

After a lot of months searching for an answer I found out that you have to figure out the D(E,F or anything) drive as MBR and not GPT in order for Ubi games to work on a hard drive other than C.I tested it and it works for EVERY Ubi game out now.

What do I have to do in order to change them?

http://www.partition-tool.com/resource/GPT-disk-partition-manager/convert-gpt-disk-to-mbr-disk.htm
I used the first solution,but there are three I think.Use whatever you find easier.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Has nothing to do with which drive is installed to; the issue is Uplay needs to be on C Drive. Uplay Game Client install location is where your saved games go for those games, but a Uplay game can be installed anywhere of your choosing.

Also make sure your game clients and games are set to Run As Admin; and never install game clients or games into Program Files or Program Files (x86) as these have influence from UAC feature, which may break certain things from working if u are not running as Admin user all the time, which u do not want to do. So to avoid running as Admin user, or turning off UAC feature, install game clients and games to somewhere else; Like C:\Games; C:\Steam; C:\Uplay; E:\Games... etc.

If you are installing a game that uses Uplay and u do not already have Uplay Client installed, download and install Uplay first.

[gpavlidis94]

Originally posted by Bad-Motha:

Has nothing to do with which drive is installed to; the issue is Uplay needs to be on C Drive. Uplay Game Client install location is where your saved games go for those games, but a Uplay game can be installed anywhere of your choosing.

Also make sure your game clients and games are set to Run As Admin; and never install game clients or games into Program Files or Program Files (x86) as these have influence from UAC feature, which may break certain things from working if u are not running as Admin user all the time, which u do not want to do. So to avoid running as Admin user, or turning off UAC feature, install game clients and games to somewhere else; Like C:\Games; C:\Steam; C:\Uplay; E:\Games... etc.

If you are installing a game that uses Uplay and u do not already have Uplay Client installed, download and install Uplay first.

What you say has already been mentioned hundreds of times on many different forums,and according to my experience none of it works.While I agree with you that Uplay is awful,in this particular case it is not causing the problem,at least not directly.As I said I had EXACTLY the same problem as the OP and I solved it by converting my D drive from GPT to MBR.Another bright example of Ubisofts...peculiarities...